_Of the several Parts or Acts of this power of Church Government,
wherein it puts forth itself in the Church._
Thus far of the special kind or peculiar nature of this authority; now
to the several parts or acts of this power which the description
comprehends in these expressions, (in dispensing the word, seals,
censures, and all other ordinances of Christ.) The evangelical
ordinances which Christ has set up in his church are many; and all of
them by divine right that Christ sets up. Take both the enumeration of
ordinances and the divine right thereof severally, as followeth.
Jesus Christ our Mediator hath instituted and appointed these ensuing
administrations to be standing and perpetual ordinances in his church:
which ordinances for method sake may be reduced into two heads,
according to the distribution of the keys formerly laid down, (chap.
III.,) viz., ordinances appertaining, 1st, To the key of order or of
doctrine; 2d, To the key of jurisdiction or of discipline.
1. Ordinances appertaining to the key of order or doctrine, viz:
1. Public prayer and thanksgiving are divine ordinances: for 1st, Paul
writing his first epistle to Timothy, "that he might know how to behave
himself in the house of God," 1 Tim. iii. 14, 15, among other directions
in that epistle, gives this for one, "I exhort therefore that first of
all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made
for all men," 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2, "for this is good and acceptable in the
sight of God our Saviour," verse 3. 2. The apostle, regulating public
prayers in the congregation, directing that they should be performed
with the understanding, takes it for granted that public prayer was an
ordinance of Christ. "If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth,
but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with
the spirit, and will pray with the understanding also. Else when thou
shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the
unlearned, say amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not
what thou sayest? for thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is
not edified." 1 Cor. xiv. 14-17. 3. Further, the apostles did account
public prayer to be of more concern than serving of tables, and
providing for the necessities of the poor, yea, to be a principal part
of their ministerial office, and therefore resolve to addict and "give
themselves to the ministry of the word and to prayer," Acts vi. 4; and
this was the church's practice in the purest times, Acts i. 13, 14,
whose pious action is for our imitation. 4. And Jesus Christ hath made
gracious promises to public prayer, viz., of his presence with those who
assemble in his name; and of audience of their prayers, Matt, xviii. 19,
20. Would Christ so crown public prayer were it not his own ordinance?
2. Singing of psalms is a divine ordinance, being,
1. Prescribed; "be filled with the spirit: speaking to yourselves in
psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs," Eph. v. 18, 19. "Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs," Col. iii. 16.
2. Regulated; the right performance thereof being laid down, "I will
sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also," 1
Cor. xiv. 15, 16. "Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord," Col.
iii. 16. "Singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord," Eph. v.
19.
3. The public ministry of the word of God in the congregation is a
divine ordinance. "We will give ourselves," said the apostles, "to the
ministry of the word and prayer," Acts vi. 4. The ministry of the word
is a sacred ordinance, whether read, preached, or catechetically
propounded.
1. The public reading of the word is a divine ordinance, (though
exposition of what is read do not always immediately follow.) For, 1.
God commanded the reading of the word publicly, and never since repealed
that command, Deut. xxxi. 11-13; Jer. xxxvi. 6; Col. iii. 16. 2. Public
reading of the scriptures hath been the practice of God's church, both
before Christ, Exod. xxiv. 7; Neh. viii. 18, and ix. 3, and xiii. 1; and
after Christ, Acts xiii. 15, 27, and xv. 21; 2 Cor. iii. 14. 3. Public
reading of the scriptures is as necessary and profitable now as ever it
was. See Deut. xxxi. 11-13.
2. The public preaching of the word is an eminent ordinance of Christ.
This is evident many ways, viz:
1. Christ hath commanded that the word shall be preached. "Go ye into
all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," Mark xvi. 15.
"Go ye, therefore, and disciple ye all nations; teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you," Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. "As
ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matt. x. 7.
See also Mark iii. 14. "I charge thee," &c. "Preach the word," 2 Tim.
iv. 1, 2. "Necessity is laid upon me, yea, wo is unto me if I preach not
the gospel," 1 Cor. ix. 16, 17. "Christ sent me--to preach the gospel,"
1 Cor. i. 17; with which compare also Acts xx. 28, and 1 Pet. v. 1-4.
2. Christ hath appointed who shall preach the word. "How shall they
preach except they be sent?" Rom. x. 15. The qualifications of preaching
elders see in 1 Tim. iii. 2-8, and Tit. i. 5-9.
3. Christ hath appointed how the word shall be preached. "Be instant, in
season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering
and doctrine," 2 Tim. iv. 2. "That he may be able by sound doctrine
both to exhort and convince gainsayers," Tit. i. 9. "He that hath my
word, let him speak my word faithfully: what is the chaff to the wheat,
saith the Lord?" Jer. xxiii. 28.
4. Christ hath made many encouraging promises to the preaching of his
word, which he would not have done, were it not his own ordinance.
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,
and lo I am with you every day to the end of the world," Matt, xxviii.
20. "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven," Matt.
xvi. 19, and xviii. 18. "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted
unto them: and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained," John xx.
23. Both these are partly meant of doctrinal binding and loosing,
remitting and retaining. "Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy
peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee,
for I have much people in this city," Acts xviii. 9, 10.
3. The catechetical propounding or expounding of the word, viz. a plain,
familiar laying down of the first principles of the oracles of God, is
an ordinance of Christ also. For, 1. This was the apostolical way of
teaching the churches at the first plantation thereof. "When for the
time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again
which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such
as have need of milk and not of strong meat," Heb. v. 12. "Therefore,
leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us go on unto
perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead
works, and of faith towards God," &c., Heb. vi. 1,2. "And I, brethren,
could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto
babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat, for
hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able," 1
Cor. iii. 1, 2. 2. And this is the sense of pastor and people which the
Holy Ghost useth, setting forth the reciprocal relation and office
between them, with his own approbation. "Let him that is catechized in
the word, communicate to him that catechizeth him, in all good things,"
Gal. vi. 6.
4. The administration of the sacraments is of divine institution.
1. Of baptism. "He that sent me to baptize with water," John i. 33. "Go
ye therefore, disciple ye all nations, baptizing them into the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," Matt, xxviii. 18-20.
2. Of the Lord's supper, which Christ ordained _the same night in which
he was betrayed_: which institution is at large described, 1 Cor. xi.
20, 23, &c.; Matt. xxvi. 26-31; Mark xiv. 22-27; Luke xxii. 19, 20.
2. Ordinances appertaining to the key of jurisdiction or of discipline,
viz:
1. The ordination of presbyters with imposition of the hands of the
presbytery, after praying and fasting, is a divine ordinance. "Neglect
not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy with the
laying on of the hands of the presbytery," 1 Tim. iv. 14. Titus was left
in Crete for this end, "To set in order things that were wanting, and
ordain presbyters" (or elders) "in every city, as Paul had appointed
him," Tit. i. 5. Timothy is charged, "Lay hands suddenly on no man,
neither be partaker of other men's sins; keep thyself pure," 1 Tim. v.
22. Paul and Barnabas came to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, and "when
they had ordained them presbyters in every church, and had prayed with
fasting, they commended them to the Lord," &c., Acts xiv. 21, 23.
2. Authoritative discerning, and judging of doctrine according to the
word of God, is a divine ordinance. As that council at Jerusalem,
authoritatively (viz. by ministerial authority) judged of both the false
doctrine and manners of false teachers, branding them for "troublers of
the Church, subverters of souls," &c. "Forasmuch as we have heard that
certain, coming forth from u, have troubled you with words, subverting
your souls, saying, ye ought to be circumcised, and keep the law, to
whom we gave no such commandment," Acts xv. 24; "it seemed good to the
Holy Ghost, and to us, to impose upon you no greater burden than these
necessary things," v. 28; and this was done upon debates from scripture
grounds, "and to this the words of the prophets agree," Acts xv. 15:
and afterwards their results and determinations are called "decrees
ordained by the apostles and elders," Acts xvi. 4.
3. Admonition and public rebuke of sinners is a divine ordinance of
Christ. "If thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his
fault between thee and him alone: if he will not hear thee, then take
with thee one or two more--and if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it
unto the Church," Matt, xviii. 15-17. "Whose soever sins ye bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven," John xx. 23. One way and degree of
binding is by authoritative, convincing reproof. "Admonish the unruly,"
1 Thess. v. 14. "An heretic, after the first and second admonition,
reject," Tit. iii. 1. "Them that sin, convincingly reprove before all,
that the rest also may fear," 1 Tim. v. 20. "Rebuke them sharply," (or
convince them cuttingly,) Tit. iii. 13. "Sufficient to such an one is
that rebuke, which was from many," 2 Cor. ii. 6.
4. Rejecting, and purging out, or putting away from the communion of the
Church, wicked and incorrigible persons, is an ordinance of Christ. "And
if he will not hear them, tell the Church; but if he will not hear the
Church, let him be unto thee even as a heathen and a publican." "Verily,
I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth, they shall be
bound in heaven," Matt, xviii. 17, 18, compared with Matt. xvi. 19, and
John xx. 21, 23. "An heretic, after once or twice admonition, reject,"
Tit. iii. 10; i.e. excommunicate, till he repent--_Pisc. in loc._ By
the lawful judgment of the Church, to deliver the impenitent to
Satan.--_Beza in loc._ "Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander, whom I have
delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme," 1 Tim. i. 20.
The apostle's scope in 1 Cor. v. is to press the church of Corinth to
excommunicate the incestuous person. "Ye are puffed up, and have not
rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed may be taken from the
midst of you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit,
have already as present judged him that thus wrought this thing. In the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, you being gathered together, and my
spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one
to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved
in the day of our Lord Jesus," 1 Cor. v. 2-5. "Know ye not that a little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven,"
ver. 7. "I wrote to you in an epistle, not to be mingled together with
fornicators," ver. 9, 11; and explaining what he meant by not being
_mingled together_, saith, "If any named a brother be a fornicator, or
covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or drunkard, or rapacious, with
such an one not to eat together," ver. 11. "Therefore take away from
among yourselves that wicked person," ver. 13.
5. Seasonable remitting, receiving, comforting, and authoritative
confirming again in the communion of the Church those that are penitent.
"What things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven,"
Matt. xvi. 19, and xviii. 18. "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are
remitted unto them," John xx. 23. This loosing and remitting is not only
doctrinal and declarative in the preaching of the word, but also
juridical and authoritative in the administration of censures. This is
called, for distinction's sake, absolution. After the church of Corinth
had excommunicated the incestuous person, and he thereupon had given
sufficient testimony of his repentance, the apostle directs them to
receive him into church communion again, saying, "Sufficient to such an
one is that rebuke inflicted of many; so that contrariwise you should
rather forgive and comfort him, lest such an one should be swallowed up
of abundant sorrow. Wherefore I beseech authoritatively to confirm love
unto him: for to this purpose also I have written unto you, that I may
know the proof of you, if ye be obedient in all things," 2 Cor. ii. 6-9.